Arctic blast brings heavy lake-effect snow to Ottawa, Allegan

West Michigan continues to be under a winter weather advisory until 7 p.m. tonight, which includes Ottawa and Allegan counties.

Staff report

West Michigan continues to be under a winter weather advisory until 7 p.m. tonight, which includes Ottawa and Allegan counties.

The Holland area is currently seeing a burst of lake lake-effect snow, which will continue through the afternoon with 3-5 inches of accumulation expected, according to the National Weather Service.

West winds will increase to 15-30 mph with higher gusts creating areas of blowing snow, so motorists are encouraged to proceed with caution — visibilities will be reduced to a few car lengths at times and snow-covered, slippery roads will develop with the heaviest snow falling mid-day.

The storm is yet another blast of Arctic air that is rolling southeastward this week over the Midwest.

The air will be the coldest of the season so far from Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, according to Accuweather.com.

The worst of the cold will reach the Upper Midwest on Wednesday, the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes on Wednesday night and the Atlantic Seaboard on Thursday into Thursday night, according to Accuweather.com.

The action of frigid air passing over the open waters of the Great Lakes will set up bands of heavy lake-effect snow, that will produce whiteouts in some locations of Michigan, Indiana and other states.

Areas likely to be hardest hit by lake-effect snow include the eastern shores of Lake Michigan and part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, south of Lake Superior. The snowiest spots within these areas are likely to receive between 1 and 3 feet of snow spanning Wednesday to Friday.